Bits About Brynley: 14 WEEKS!

Brynley,

Happy Fourteen Weeks!

 

 December 20, 2011 FOURTEEN WEEKS

Your brother loves you very much and is always right by your side!

My sweet Brynley turned 14 weeks old today! The weeks just pass by faster and faster. I was putting clothes away in the drawers of a dresser in her unused nursery the other day and came across Brynley's 4 month sticker she'll soon be wearing. It made me a little sad because I thought wow she just turned three months last week, and now here we are counting down the weeks to 4 months, which will be here in no time. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as ready for 4 months to get here, but at the same time I want to savor each day that I get to spend at home with Brynley and Ryder too.

There's no denying just how much this little miss loves her Mommy! I took this picture with my iPhone the other night as we were snuggling on the couch while the boys were playing trains. She was just softly touching my arm, happy to know I was there. She's really taken with me lately and almost to the point where she doesn't want to be held by anyone else. This is both good and bad. Good because I never had that with Ryder, because I went back to work at 8 weeks just as we had developed a wonderful bond and gotten into a great routine. I would get home from work so late, just in time for his bedtime. During the day he was with various daycare teachers, and Scot picked him up each day, so they got to be really close which I remember being secretly jealous of. It makes me so happy to have such a bond with my baby girl, but I'm also realizing can also be bad when she doesn't want to be held by anyone else, and I am the one that has to soothe her or settle her. I guess when you're around someone 24/7 you can't help but develop a sweet bond with one another. I love my sweet girl so much and love that she loves me so much!

Still not a big fan of her tummy time, but we still try. Some days she actually does seem to like it, and laughs a little, but most days she cries when I first lay her down. The funny thing is that she loves being on her stomach when we prop her up on the Boppy or Scot lets her do the Superman while on her stomach if he's watching the game or sitting on the couch. She seems to love this with him, not with me however.

I'm still amazed at all of the hair my girl has! I was one bald baby until probably a year old, so I think just like Ryder she will have Scot's thick hair. I just hope it stays blonde and doesn't turn red. I love my red headed man but I always wanted a blonde mini-me. This morning after Brynley woke up and I let her lay in bed with me after her last feeding before time to wake up, I nuzzled her soft baby head against mine. I love the way she smells and the way her soft baby hair feels. Her hair is really filling in and getting thicker and I love it!

and for comparison, here was her head of blonde hair on the day she was born!

I still get the intimated look when I pull my Nikon SLR camera out, so I use a lot of the camera phone on my iPhone instead. I love to stand over Brynley and get her to start kicking and laughing at me. She's usually smiliest though after I lay her on her changing table and take her diaper off. I think she likes the feeling of being free! Ha!

Scot's Aunt Sandi who I am very close to, is sending this sweet handmade quilt for Brynley this week. I can't wait for it to get here so we can use it. From the moment I met his Aunt we just hit it off and became fast friends, and we email often. I just wish they lived closer, but it still means a lot that she took the time to make Brynley such a sweet gift that she will treasure one day. Sadly, Scot's cousin Chad died this time last year, and he didn't have any brothers or sisters, so it has really hit Aunt Sandi as I can imagine it would for anyone, but she will always have a special relationship with Ryder and Brynley and to me she is much more than just an Aunt!

I started putting Brynley in Ryder's old highchair now when I'm cooking or unloading the dishwasher so that I can get chores done around the house. The girl likes being held most of the time, or at least likes me near, so this way she can check out what I'm doing. She looked so big when I put her in it, and I think she really liked sitting there so she could get a good view of everything.

Brynley's also starting to enjoy her bath again! She has had quite the growth spurt over what seemed like the last 3 weeks! Now that she's 3 months old, I was expecting her to hit this milestone growth spurt, but I wasn't prepared for how long it would last. My mom even commented just how fussy Brynley seemed compared to Ryder, but I am so happy to report that I think over the past few days she's over the hump! Hallelujah because we weren't sure just how much more we could take. I hadn't been getting nearly as many smiles, she was never content after feedings, even if she wouldn't eat more than her usual 4-5 oz if I offered, and just in general she wasn't as happy a baby. Her sleep was always interrupted too, and naps were only about 45 minutes if I was lucky!

Along with getting over her growth spurt, we also decided to let the little miss sleep in her nursery! It hit me hard just how much I was going to be sad to move her upstairs, but at the same I knew that we needed to get here at some point. It was like taking a bandaid off, and we decided on Sunday that it would be the night to get both kids upstairs and out of our room. Brynley did fine. I did our nightly routine as usual, and then swaddled her after her bath and feeding, and rocked her some, offering her just a bit more milk before calling it a night and laying in her crib she'd yet to sleep in. I think she had only taken one or two naps in it, so I was nervous as to how she would do. Crazy considering we had Ryder in his crib upstairs by his first week!

I guess I was also scared of interrupting what sleep we were getting by changing things up. She did great, but it was Ryder who was up after going down at his normal bedtime. He came downstairs around 1am and begged to get in our bed. After dragging him back to his room, Scot and I took turns getting him back in his bed and offering up many different suggestions that would get him to sleep. Of them, we took down the large crab and lobster that hung on the walls, as he said they were scary. We also turned on not one but two night lights in his room to help him sleep better. We are doing much better now, but the first night was a big adjustment for us all. Except Brynley, who slept like a champ and only got up at 1:30 and 5:30!

Since then, we have continued to keep both kids in their rooms, and Scot and I actually had time to enjoy a tv show together in bed before calling it a night. This was a rare occasion, so we celebrated with wine last night, knowing that we were finally back to some normalcy around here. I know we will have more battles with both Ryder and Brynley to sleep, but for now we are enjoying the freedom once again! I will however, look back at the past 3 months of us all 4 in one room, and remember with fond memories. I never thought I would be that mom that let her children sleep in my room, but when sleepless nights call for anything that will allow more sleep. Survival mode! In the end, I actually enjoyed the closeness of being together, but will also enjoy time just Scot and I back in our room alone again!

Brynley has started really grasping for things, and pulling them to her. She has also started playing with her bottle, and will pull the nipple out and play with it. She seems to like to "chew" on it which makes me wonder if she's also starting to teethe. I think this because she's always putting her hands in her mouth, to the point where I worry that she will choke herself! Either that or she's just discovering her world around her and that includes her hands and fingers.

The activity mat is still a favorite, but it's hard to play without her loving brother coming over to play too! Ryder is usually very sweet with his sister, but there are also many times that he's over zealous with her, going one step too far to hug her or pat her and she lets him know right away she's not liking it! I'm so happy for the time we've had this past week to spend together as we anticipate Christmas. Brynley has so much fun to look forward to and so many firsts. She had her first trip to church on Sunday, saw her first Christmas lights in Christmastown, USA and will now get to experience her first Christmas Eve and Christmas this weekend! I can't imagine how life was before my sweet girl was born, and I never knew a Mommy could love just this much! I continue to feel blessed to be Ryder and Brynley's Mommy and taking care of them is one of the most challenging responsibilities, yet rewarding.